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Diet And Depression In Women

Diet and depression in women - is there a connection?Could your unhealthy diet be adding to your depression?

Recent studies suggest that women who suffer from depression and anxiety may want to take a look at their diet as a possible contributor to these conditions.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne found that mood disorders were more common among women aged 20 to 93 who, over 10 years, ate primarily processed, refined, high-fat foods...

"There's no magic diet," Dr Felice Jacka said in an email to Reuters. But eating a diet mainly of vegetables, fruit, wholegrain foods, low fat dairy products, and lean meat, and reserving processed and sweet treats to "sometimes foods," will aid physical health and may also support mental well-being, she said.

Jacka's team assessed diet and psychiatric evaluations gathered over 10 years from 1046 women, representative of the Australian population.

A total of 925 women were free of mood disorders, whereas 121 had depressive and/or anxiety disorders, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry. When they assessed how diet might relate to mood disorders, they found that a "Western" diet - eating primarily hamburgers, white bread, pizza, chips, flavored milk drinks, beer, and sugar-laden foods - was associated with more than a 50 percent greater likelihood for depressive disorders. By contrast, both depression and anxiety disorders appeared about 30 percent less likely among women eating a diet consisting mostly of vegetables, fruit, beef, lamb, fish, and wholegrain foods.

These associations remained when the research team allowed for a variety of factors including age, body weight, social and economic status, education, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol drinking habits.

The researchers said the findings highlighted the need for additional investigations to determine the link between diet and depression in women. And whether unhealthy eating leads to declining mental health or vice versa.